Diamonds to be Used to Detect Cancer Tumors?

Diamonds were recently suggested to have beneficial health effects aside from looking elegant. A new study showed that the precious gems were also useful in detecting cancer tumors.

A new study published in Nature Communications showed that diamonds can be effective in detecting cancer tumors. Professor David Reilly, lead study author from the University of Sydney School of Physics observed how nanoscale diamonds might be useful in finding the earliest stages of cancers. He said that they knew that nano-diamonds are generally non-toxic and non-reactive, which might make these useful in delivering drugs during chemotherapy sessions. Reilly also noted that they believed that they could use the non-toxic and magnetic properties of diamonds to detect cancer without the need for invasive procedures.

EwaRej noted that the team hyperpolarized nano-diamonds, which involves lining up atoms within the gem to create a signal that can be detected by an MRI scanner. They attached hyperpolarized diamonds to molecules that target cancers, allowing them to track the movement of the molecules inside the body.

Medical Daily stated that researchers are looking for ways to harness the immune system to attack cancer cells. The approach is used in the field of immunotherapy which has been increasingly promising in treating melanoma and other kinds of cancer. The recent finding can be contributive to the continuous development of drugs and treatment regimens that will hopefully treat and prevent cancer successfully in the future.

Helen Zorbas, chief executive of Cancer Australia, told ABC News that brain and pancreatic cancers are two of the most lethal cancers so any finding that would potentially detect these types of cancer at an early time will be welcome news. The finding will generally mean that treatment can be more effective.

Targeting cancer with tailored chemicals is not entirely new. In 2013, a research project called DINAMO used the special qualities of diamonds to create a new way to study molecular process in cells. The technology can also find the onset of cancer more quickly and conveniently. As a result, effective and preventive measures can be developed to save cancer patients around the world.

“This is a great example of how quantum physics research tackles real-world problems, in this case opening the way for us to image and target cancers long before they become life-threatening.” Reilly stated.

More news and details on the effect of diamonds in detecting cancer cells are expected in the following months.